Chapter 16 - THE LETTER IN THE MAILTwo weeks after the gala, a plain white envelope arrived at my office. It had no return address, just my name handwritten in cramped, shaky handwriting.
I opened it with a letter opener. Inside was a single piece of lined paper from a legal pad.
Claire, I don't expect your forgiveness, and I certainly don't deserve your pity. While serving my sentence at the minimum-security facility upstate, I enrolled in the library management program and started attending the restorative justice classes. For the first time in my life, I had to look at what I did without my family name or my bank accounts to protect me. I was a bully, Claire. I used cruelty to feel powerful because I was deeply insecure. I watched the video of that night again—the way you stood up, calm and unshakable, while the rest of us laughed like fools. You were the only real person in that room. I am sorry for the wine, for the insults, and for every moment I made your life miserable. You won fair and square. — Madison Harrington
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I stared at the letter for a long moment. There was no anger left in my chest, only a quiet closure. I folded the paper, placed it in my desk drawer alongside the old forensic audit reports, and locked it.
People change when they finally run out of shields. Madison had found hers the hard way.
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